These Kids are Virtual Whizzes

The average high school freshman has a lot on his mind—new school, tough classes and the agonizing promise of college applications four years down the line.

But Prem Nair, Abhijit Kulkarni and Ameya Khare, ninth-grade students at Monta Vista High School, have spent the last six months worrying about something quite different.

How long can a virtual person starve without having to take a sick day from work?

These three members of DECA, an on-campus business club that focuses on marketing and entrepreneurship, have beaten out teams from across the country to compete as regional finalists in the H&R Block Virtual Business—Personal Finance Challenge at this year’s DECA International Career Development Conference later this month.

They will compete against 15 other teams in hopes of winning $10,000 each in college scholarships, an opportunity to go behind the scenes at H&R Block and, most importantly, bragging rights.

Prem and his teammates have practiced versions of the final challenge—a virtual simulation filled with real-life tasks like finding and paying for an apartment, deciding how, if at all, to pursue higher education, and selecting a career track—for about six months now.

The virtual simulation, developed and run by H&R Block, has been a hit with educators and students at participating high schools and has helped students develop important life skills, said Kelli Ramey, the representative who oversees the program for H&R Block.

 “We felt it was a great way to give back to our local schools and to help create a more financially fit next generation,” she said.

Though the simulation is not entirely modeled after real-life decision-making—in the simulation, decisions are final and cannot be reversed—students face the same questions they would face as adults fending for themselves.

The end goal is to accrue as much personal wealth as possible given practical constraints. They only have three virtual years to make as much as they can, and they are punished for not taking care of themselves well.

Hence, the debate about eating and working.

Abhijit discovered early on that rationing food—eating as little as possible right up until the simulation forces a sick day and a loss of income—was an effective method for budgeting and allocating resources. Together, the teammates found that analyzing job patterns helped determine whether the cost of higher education was worth increased income later on. In this case, it wasn’t.

DECA is one of the largest student groups on Monta Vista’s campus, counting more than 400 members, and is a component of the school’s business curriculum, which the club’s adviser, Carl Schmidt, said is largely focused on, “student learning and doing.”

Through direct instruction, industry-related videos, readings and practical applications, students are pushed to “think outside the box” and learn from hands-on experience. Those principles, coupled with clubs like DECA, create opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and has helped students, like Prem, Abhijit and Ameya, develop a keen business sense.

Though the three students, friends since middle school and before, joined DECA as a fun way to spend time together, they said they’ve gained experience that will help them to be successful business leaders in the future.

“It’s good to have business experience, since the economy is all about business,” Ameya said. “(And) you work really hard on something, and it pays off.”

The team is excited to compete in Orlando. They’ve been allocated a travel allowance, and if they win, will have the chance to follow an H&R Block executive for a day.

The final will be nerve-wracking, Prem said. They will compete with large screens attached to their computers so the crowd can monitor each dollar they gain, and the margins to win are slim, often less than 1 percent. Unlike qualifying and practice rounds, they will only have 15 minutes to complete the simulation and won’t have opportunities to fix mistakes during the round.

“Filing yearly tax returns,” Ameya said, “not very easy.”

Still, they’re more excited than nervous, they said.

Schmidt has nothing but faith in his students, especially after seeing their development over the past academic year.

“Their growth is superb,” he said. “They will only be constrained by the limitations they put on themselves and the choices they make.”